Chapter Sixteen: Worn-Out Quills

The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione came back just before classes began again. DA meetings were held more frequently than ever, and Neville worked startlingly hard. I'd never seen anyone in such a feverish frenzy to learn the Defense Arts, but I suppose that's because three weeks after the holidays ended, there was the mass break-out from Azkaban, including the married couple who'd tortured his parents into insanity.

The day term started again, the notice was posted that all who were or would be seventeen on or before August Thirty-First could sign up for Apparition classes. I signed up, never having had the opportunity back in Nebraska. It was fun, although there were quite a few Splinchings during the course of the class. The instructor, a colorless little man from the Ministry Apparition Committee named Wilkie Twycross, was amazed at my ability to pick it up so fast.

Grandfather Dumbledore was very amused by my quick study of Apparition. (Of course, I couldn't call him Grandfather when other people were around, but he did allow it when we had our monthly conferences with Madame Pomfrey on my progress.) He was very happy that I was slowly regaining all my memories, although he was a bit worried that I was still having fainting spells. Madame Pomfrey assured him at our monthly meetings that as soon as all of my Obliviated memories returned, the fainting would end.

I was (finally!) caught up in all my classes, but the professors kept pouring on class notes and homework. Soon enough, I was back to my place in the middle of all the classes, except for Care of Magical Creatures. Somehow, I shone in that class. I guess it stemmed from my years of caring for Jakkin, so I suppose I was just naturally good.

As the months passed, I kept having to order new quills from Flourish and Blotts, because I was taking so many notes and writing so many essays. I think it was in the way of one or two a week. But my troubles were noting compared to the fifth-years: they were getting ready for their O.W.L.s, and they (especially Harry, Ron, and Hermione) were using something like a quill a day (Hermione was more like three a day).

In March, we had the Apparition Test down in Hogsmeade, and I was one of about five who passed with flying colors. And, of course, soon after that was when Fred and George flew out on Umbridge. I missed them terribly, but I understood why they left. Even so, there went two of my closest friends at Hogwarts.

In April, Jakkin came back from Nebraska, laden with gifts from Cat, Try, and the gang at Songsmith. Magistra Archon, as an Apparition gift (news travels fast between wizarding headmasters) had had a score of Jakkin's feathers made into Self-Inking Quills in different colors for me, so I'd never run out again. Cat and Try had sent me a Broom Compass, and their parent sent me a set of dress robes in a beautiful orange, with creamy-white frills at the cuffs and collar. (With my hair of variegated flames, I looked like a sunset.) Surprisingly enough, I even received cards of congratulations from the Pingui twins, who had gone into teaching and Ministry work (Park was now Charms Magister at Songsmith, and Pete was working in the American Office of the Ministry of Magic, Muggle Relations Department).

May passed quite uneventfully, except for Ginny's fifteenth birthday. I presented her with ten of the Self-Inking Quills, Angelina gave her a box of assorted candies and chocolates, and Emily handed her a Broom Servicing Kit during lunchtime. All in all, it was a very successful birthday (and much happier than Ron's seventeenth, on which he got poisoned!).